For the sixth edition of Photo Vogue Festival, Vogue Italia has launched the Reframing History scouting initiative aimed at young emerging talents specialized in photography and video inviting those who wish to participate to submit a photography or an audio-visual project that makes use of alternative methods to tell a story. The grant is in collaboration with Studio RM, a prestigious creative studio with offices in London and New York, specialising in colour grading and post production for film, print and digital. We asked Robert Moore, the founding director, a few questions in order to better understand his vision and the mission of the studio.
Studio RM was founded in 2009. In these twelve years how has your work changed?
RM: In the beginning, we worked exclusively with David Sims, who is always exploring new ideas and techniques. David would encourage and push you to try different things until something clicked. He would make you stand back and really look at his picture; talking about all the elements, from lighting and styling to hair and makeup. Naturally, being in that environment the work developed and still influences how I work today.
After that, I knew that I wanted to work with other artists — those who have different points-of-view, styles and processes — to really understand and engage with their practice. Everyone we work with has different needs and expectations. The industry is always evolving so it’s important that we do, too. Our studio is constantly learning and adapting our ways of working, which keeps us all engaged and creative.
Opening our motion division has given us much more opportunity to collaborate with a diverse mix of artists. The studio has become such a hive for talent and creativity; it’s inspiring being able to walk around and see what everyone is doing and talk about the work.
Has there been an evolution of your core values?
RM: Our core values haven’t changed, though how we have expressed them have. We’ve always instilled an open culture for meeting new artists and welcoming them into the studio. We launched the content series Studio RM Discovers to share this talent with our clients and community as they have so many interesting stories to tell.
But it’s not just new talent in the industry, we also strongly believe in providing a supportive and inclusive environment for our own team, making sure the studio is a space where people can develop, grow and be creative.
We continue to strive to be engaged, open-minded and take pride in the work we’re doing, going above and beyond to deliver outstanding quality and attention to detail that our partners have come to expect from us.
How would you define the mission of Studio RM today in 3 key words?
RM: We discover, we curate, we create.
What are the main characteristics an artwork must have to get your attention?
RM: It’s more about the artist and their overall approach that gets my attention — someone who has a strong point-of-view and opinion.
I love meeting artists who are energised and inspired by the work they’re creating.
When we first came across the wonderful Adrienne Raquel, we were struck by her bold use of colour. Adrienne’s photographs have an aura about them. Her work celebrates women expressing their femininity, gracefully portrayed in a powerful and positive way. She immerses her subjects in these vibrant worlds of colour where they exude confidence.
What tips would you give a young artist to succeed?
RM: Having a point-of-view and being able to differentiate yourself is key. Talking and showing your work to as many people as you can. Looking at ways to constantly evolve your work, to keep moving forward, improving and developing.
My other tip would be don’t be afraid to ask for help and guidance from others. When you’re starting out, you aren’t expected to know how to do everything. Good people will understand this and share their experience with you.
What have you learned from the projects of newer generations of artists, both in terms of formal and thematic approaches?
RM: The popularity of analogue processes and shooting on film doesn’t seem to be slowing down. I would say 80% of the artists we work with, photographers and directors, shoot on film. If they are unable to shoot film because of either timing or budget, then we are asked to emulate the look and feel of film or handprints.
The biggest difference for us is the way we are working with the newer generation, especially photographers. It’s a lot more fluid and collaborative. They like to be very hands-on, so we find ourselves sending work back and forth. The process has become more of a dialogue.
How does the partnership with Photo Vogue Festival fit into your path of supporting talent? Do you have projects specifically designed for emerging talent?
RM: When we start working with emerging talent, it’s our ambition to support their journey from the beginning as much as possible, including their editorial projects. A lot of emerging artists are unsigned, so sometimes they don’t have anyone to lean on when budgeting, talking to clients or managing projects. We can help with that.
Having a studio of our calibre gives brands more confidence to work with younger artists as they understand we will offer a high-quality service and deliver the project at a high level. It creates more opportunity for everyone.
The PVF partnership is a great collaboration and fits into ethos of always discovering and supporting new talent. Vogue Italia has a huge global reach — we’re excited to meet new artists.
What are the prospects for the future of Studio RM?
RM: Our industry and world is changing all the time, which keeps us on our toes — we are always learning and developing our skills and services to adapt.
As we focus on our the film side of the business, we're excited to grow our colour grading team. We’re also looking to expand our New York studio, hiring talented people who love what they do and value working in a a warm, friendly and inclusive place.
